By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO, Washington Blade
Jun 4 2008, 2:17 PM |
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The only two openly gay members of Congress announced Wednesday creation of the “LGBT Equality Caucus,” comprised of 52 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who’ve taken the lead previously in introducing gay legislation, were joined by 13 of their colleagues at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Baldwin said the caucus will be both “symbolic and substantive” and “will serve as a resource for members of Congress, their staffs and the general public on LGBT issues.”
“Our work this session on legislation combating hate crimes and employment non-discrimination highlighted the need and the desire people had for more information,” Baldwin said, referring to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
The House passed ENDA, but the Senate has yet to take it up this session. The hate crimes measure was attached to the Defense authorization bill, but later yanked.
Baldwin also said the new group’s existence “makes a strong statement about the values this Congress and this nation holds dear.”
She said the caucus will “engage in substantive work to achieve the extension of equal rights and the repeal of discriminatory laws.”
Frank intimated that Baldwin had done much of the behind-the-scenes work to get the caucus started.
“People have asked, ‘Why now?,’” Frank said. “The answer is that before this Congress, there wouldn’t have been enough for us to do. Until this Congress, the role of those of us supportive of legal equality, the progress of sexual orientation and gender identity was purely defensive and you don’t need a big caucus to say no.”
Scoffing at notions of a “radical homosexual agenda” Frank said his opponents have suggested, he said his work and the work of the caucus will pertain to three main areas.
“They essentially are the right to get married, the right to join the military and the right to have a job,” Frank said. “Now what radical, in the history of the world, would have considered joining the military, getting married and going to work?”
Frank said the caucus will work to make sexual orientation and gender
identity “irrelevant legally.”
Baldwin said that while some work will start now — she mentioned educational briefings on the Hill and building communication networks between Caucus members to allow them to correspond “on a rapid basis” — the group will also be building a foundation for next year.
“We’ll have a new president and one who hopefully will not issue veto threats on a number of the things that will go through the House,” Baldwin said.
Some gay rights advocates are frustrated with Congress. ENDA was opposed by many transgender activists who objected to the House version that passed because it didn’t include a transgender clause. Frank said it wouldn’t have passed with trans inclusion.
Frank indicated Wednesday that the House may consider a separate trans bill. He said he spoke with Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) Tuesday about the issue.
“We will be having the hearing on transgender protection, employment protection for transgenders, very soon,” Frank said.
ENDA hasn’t been introduced in the Senate and its future is uncertain because Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is fighting brain cancer, planned to introduce it.
Baldwin said the new caucus has no plans to lobby senators.
“I think the primary focus for this House caucus for right now will be trying to pave the way for even more advances in the next session,” she said.
She said there’ve been no discussions of a Senate version of the caucus but said, “perhaps we can lead by example.”
Among the co-chairs who spoke Wednesday were Reps. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who pledged increased gay rights in his state.
“We still have a ways to go to get as far as California,” he said. “But we’ll get there as soon as we get another state Senate next year.”
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